Runaway
by SSX
Summary: [Rockman.EXE] Desperate situations require desperate measures, specially if your wife will go psycho on you if you don't make it on time for dinner. Dedicated to Shimegami-chan.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Runaway   
  
Author: SSX   
  
E-mail: hikari-labs@now.nu   
  
Rating: PG   
  
Spoilers: Up to EXE 1, just some Saito stuff, but nothing you can't handle.   
  
Classification: WIP, YHR, YT, AU, OOCness and a tiny li'l SI you won't even notice. Response to the Rockman.EXE Online Fanfic Challenge of September 2003.   
  
Feedback: Loved, praised, and framed. ^_^;;   
  
Disclaimer: Not mine, none of 'em. Not even Yuu-sama. ;_; Heck, I'd settle for just owning Emdee, but Izumi-chan does, so... *snif* At least I own this crappy plot. That's something, I guess.   
  
--   
  
Runaway   
  
by SSX   
  
--   
  
If it weren't Monday afternoon, the situation would've amused him. If it weren't the date of the 10th anniversary, he would be laughing at his luck. But Hikari Yuuichirou wasn't amused nor laughing. Stuck at the middle of traffic - his great idea of driving from Kotobuki's airport to home didn't appear to be as great as it had been before. Sure, he had saved a few Zenny, but what was that worth if he was doomed to be there forever?   
  
Yuuichirou peered out of the window; an endless line of cars, none of them moving a single inch. They hadn't moved for an entire hour, and it didn't seem to him that they'd move any time soon.   
  
"Hikari-hakase?" A digital voice called for him. "You have a phone call from Rockman.EXE."   
  
Yuuichirou gave a distracted look at his briefcase. He took his PET from the front pocket and looked at Emdee, all seriousness as always; Yuu wondered why he had designed his frame like that, making Emdee almost unable to smile. Emdee had been the first navi who had had installed the Emotion program, but the first time Yuuichirou saw it running, he though it was a complete failure. Even now, after the success of it and thousands of operators as happy customers, he still thought that, somehow, Emdee was impervious to it. Yuuichirou still remembered when, while doing some tests on Emdee to see if the program was running correctly, he had asked the e-mail program to tickle Emdee's belly. All they got from Emdee was a half chuckle before he blasted the program to deletion and Yuuichirou had to look for another program to handle his e-mail.   
  
"Hikari-hakase?" Emdee asked, genuinely worried about his operator. "Do you wish to take Rockman's phonecall?"   
  
Yuuichirou blinked; he had completely forgotten about the phonecall. "Huh? Ah, yes, Emdee, let me talk to him."   
  
But Rockman's face was already on a window inside the PET's screen. "Papa?" Yuuichirou's dead son's digitalized self looked at his creator. "It's about the traffic system. We're dealing with the viruses, but it might take a while. There are a lot glitches still left and we can't fix them at the moment."   
  
Great. It was as if God didn't want him to be with his wife on such an important date. "Emdee, go with Rockman and check the glitches, see if you can fix them. Saito..." His voice became more worried. "You haven't told your mother about this, have you?" Yuuichirou nervously fiddled with his neck, trying not to think how angry would Haruka get if he missed the date _again_.   
  
"Not a single word, Papa." Rockman smiled. "I know you don't want to get Mama angry at you again. Netto-kun and I will take care of this as soon as possible- wait, he's calling me again, Papa, I have to go now. We'll do our best!"   
  
"Thanks, Saito. You two take care." He answered, trying to sound as cheerful as always.   
  
"Will do, Papa. See ya!" The window closed by itself, and Emdee reappeared at the screen, waiting for Yuuichirou to plug him in. Yuuichirou stared back at him, oblivious at what Emdee was waiting for to leave.   
  
Navi and operator stared at each other for what it seemed an eternity.   
  
The sun was shining brightly.   
  
Birds were chirping.   
  
Some guys were screaming obscenities outside.   
  
Somewhere else, an old man and his cronies were plotting a sinister plan to delete the Net.   
  
At the other side of the world, a fanfic writer was thinking about going to watch the Thornberrys instead of continuing her recent fanfic idea.   
  
All of these events happened at the same time. None of the characters involved on this story would notice nor care about them. But they happened anyway.   
  
And still, after all that time, they kept staring.   
  
Fortunately, Emdee had finally decided to break the silence. "Hikari-hakase?" Emdee was now really worried about his operator. "May you plug me in so I can proceed, Hikari-hakase?"   
  
The idea took a moment to sink on Yuuichirou's brain, who all this time had been staring blankly at his PET, thinking about Haruka and if there was a little chance of getting to Akihara-cho on time. "Plug you... but weren't you-"   
  
Yuuichirou finally noticed the cord of the PET, not plugged to any electrical device nearby.   
  
He really felt like an idiot now. Reaching for the cord, he plugged the PET on the car's radio, and Emdee transmitted himself inmediately.   
  
On his way to the traffic network, Emdee vowed to find the navi of the SciLab's psychiatrist and convince him to check on Hikari-hakase. It would be for the best. Emdee supposed Hikari-hakase wouldn't mind, anyway.   
  
--   
  
Damn. I wanted to do a viggie, but I had too many ideas for this one... Please, PLEASE, I beg you, beta read this and give your opinions or else I'll kill myself ;_; Writer block is pwning me at the moment. _;;   
  
I had asked for permission to use Emdee on a story (second part of "After in the dark"), but I lost my old notes, so I might not be continuing that one on a long while. I'm going to ask again. Whee, I hope Izu-chan doesn't get mad at me because of that little story I made up about Emdee. ^^;   
  
Parts from the challenge I've accomplished so far:   
  
- Someone blue (Rockman)   
  
- Somewhere new (the street, but I think I'll have to be more specific on the next chapter)   
  
- An anniversary (duh)   
  
I still need the "something borrowed" part. Any ideas? ^^; (I was thinking of a bicycle) As for the dumb rhyme, I already have it, I just need to write the scene. 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer on part 1.   
  
Yuuichirou sighed and left his plugged PET on the passenger seat, near to the radio. Even with Emdee's help, he knew it'd still take them a lot of time. He could've tried program a temporary firewall to contain the virii long enough for the traffic lights to start working again, but he would need to do that on the mainframe server. He didn't know where the server could be. Heck, he didn't even know where he was. Sure, Emdee had shown him a map of Kotobuki-cho which he had printed and sticked next to the velocimeter, but it wasn't a detailed map after all.   
  
Cursing the WWW, the bored Yuuichirou turned on the radio. Almost inmediately, Kero Midorikawa's voice boomed through the speakers. Yuuichirou quickly lowered the volume and made a mental note to never allow Yagami from Networks to borrow his car again.   
  
He listened at the news carefully. Not a word about the traffic lights. And then they would go to commercial break with this silly, yet catching tune. Yuuichirou tried to ignore it and focus his mind on a motorcycle approaching the traffic jam.   
  
"If you love her so much~" The motorcycle looked more closer that it appeared on the mirror.   
  
"...buy her the Electian sponge~" What kind of company would name a product like that?   
  
"...she will love you even more~" My wife? At this moment? Oh no no no no, I don't think so.   
  
"and you might hit the sco-"   
  
"Damn it." He turned off the radio, and looked back to the motorcycle. Absorbed as he was, he didn't notice he was humming the tune of the commercial.   
  
He saw the guy parking his motorcycle in front of the store. It was his chance. Now or never.   
  
But Hikari-hakase would never do that.   
  
Yuu-kun would.   
  
Hikari-hakase would just wait for the next couple of hours until Emdee and Rockman fixed the problem. Hikari-hakase would never steal that motorcycle. It was unthinkable, even unmentionable. He wouldn't go that low, not even for his wife.   
  
Yuu-kun was crazy, crazy about his woman. He needed to hold her, to make love to her countless times on a row, to have her at his side... and he'd do anything just to be with her. And if it takes one stolen motorcycle to do so, then so be it.   
  
At this point, Yuuichirou deemed necessary to analyze the situation.   
  
Choice one. He could choose to stay there and wait lord knows how many hours until the traffic lights were fixed. By that time, all stores would be closed, including flower shops. He would probably end up getting home at 12 AM, and Haruka wouldn't be happy about it.   
  
Choice two. He could give up whatever little reputation he had left, steal the motorcycle, drive all the way from Kotobuki to Akihara-cho, stop on a flower shop on the way, and getting home just on time to have dinner with his lovely wife.   
  
Not to mention he didn't even know how to drive a motorcycle.   
  
Of course, that didn't matter to him after he got out of the car and ran to the motorcycle.   
  
--   
  
Well, thank you Bro and Ex-b, this took a whole hour more than the expected and my inspiration ran away with my brain. Sorry, minna, I couldn't think of anything else... ^^;   
  
Note to myself. Do never, ever write a fanfic again after watching loads of Friends episodes, one romantic movie with Meg Ryan and an Indiana Jones movie. Remember the G I was so proud of? Well, after today, I'm afraid to say that I'll have to add a P to that. Craaaaaaap. At least it didn't go NC-17. Now that's something. _;; An, um, rather "dirty" scene was removed from this fanfic, and will be rewritten for the next installment.   
  
I have now completed the challenge, but the story has one chapter left! I think...   
  
Something borrowed: Car and motorcycle. Do you think I'm really that ebil to make Yuu-sama to go on a bicycle all the way from Kotobuki to Akihara-cho? XD   
  
A dumb rhyme: "If you love her so much~ buy her the Electian sponge~ she will love you even more~ and you might hit the score!". *Wondering why on hell did she write 'A dumb rhyme' on the challenge*   
  
Thanks to Izu-chan who, unbestknowingly to her, gave me the idea of Yuu-sama's infamous pet name. XD 


End file.
